Dilapidated Me and Learning to Rejoice

My body is a wreck.
My condition, never “mint;”
Sometime, when I was gone
My body came and went.

If I was a horse
Irregardless how I cope,
I’m certain that by now
I’d be a bar of soap.

Each time I stand or move
I fear parts of me will escape.
Since it might be parts I need,
Guess I’ll use more tape.

I often feel confused
How can I look so good?
I belong in a dumpster,
After all I’ve withstood.

If I was a goose, I’d be stark naked
A pillow stuffed with down.
If I was a waddling white duck
My tail would rub the ground.

I admit I’m partially in ruins
But the part of me that’s left
Should shut up, be quiet and
Stop feeling so bereft.

As long as I draw breath and
My heart beats within my breast,
I thank God for insurance
To restock my medicine chest.

It’s easy to feel forlorn
To grieve for all I’ve lost
To slide down life’s highway
Is much too high a cost.

My cupboards are chock-full
Of signs of my decay; a cane,
Ace wraps, TENS units,
All of it for chronic pain.
I’ve counted four heating pads,
One’s always on the bed;
Freezer pads all in blue
Frost me from rear to head.

Mattress companies cringe
When they hear me opining;
They just don’t have a warranty
To cover my declining.

This dilapidation of body
Is a complicated mess,
It never seems to stop
So I utter, “Don’t obsess, don’t obsess.”

I’ve decided it’s a contest
To rejoice before I die,
Therefore, each day I stretch
And spit life in the eye.

Pain free, I don’t expect
So I’ll do the best I can
And pray each day I live,
Life doesn’t “hit the fan.”

I search for happiness
Like a miner pans for gold
In the in-between, called life,
Dilapidation’s getting old.

Therefore I’ll use it up,
Wear it out and spend all I can.
So be assured, you’re not alone
Join me in my “health plan.”

We each need to remember
We are a sum of all our parts;
But the real priority for us
Is living from our hearts.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sue Falkner-Wood

Sue Falkner-Wood is a retired registered nurse living in Astoria, Ore., with her husband, who is also an R.N. Sue left nursing in 1990 due to chronic pain and other symptoms related to what was eventually...read more